Centrifugal pump case alignment mounting



Feb. 27, 1962 E. R. WlLFLEY ETAL CENTRIFUGAL PUMP CASE ALIGNMENTMOUNTING Filed July 28, 1959 l I iijws 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORJ' ElmerR.Wilf|ey BYWiHiGm E.Geer

Feb. 27, 1962 E. R. WILFLEY ETAL 3,022,740

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP CASE ALIGNMENT MOUNTING Filed July 28, 1959 3Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORJ' Elmer R.Wilfley BY WilliumE.Geer

. WmLM M A TV Feb. 27, 1962 E. R. WILFLEY ETAL 3,022,740

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP CASE ALIGNMENT MOUNTING Filed July 28, 1959 3Sheets-Sheet 3 43\\ 44 at 36 FIG.3 5

FIG.4

IINVENTORJ Elmer Rqwilf ley BYWiHi Gm E. Geer Unite This inventionrelates generally to the class of centrifugal pumps and pertains moreparticularly to pumps of this type, of heavy construction, such as areused in pumping sand loaded liquids and chemical solutions.

Centrifugal sand pumps of the large and heavy type with which thepresent invention deals, embody a circular case portion which is fittedacross its diameter to a follower plate and intake chamber. The case isset or rested through feet on the bottom thereof upon a supporting base.In these heavy pump structures the cases have in some instances beenfitted to or on a back plate and held in place by case bolts. Due to theheavy weight of the case, however, the preferred, and what is thought tobe the best, mounting is through the case feet.

The pump case must at times be detached from the follower plate andintake chamber either for complete removal and replacement or for theinspection of the wear parts and the presently employed manner ofmounting the case presents certain disadvantages and problemsparticularly with respect to the replacement of the case, as it isdifficult to realign the parts of the case, follower plate and intakechamber. In the mounting of the case by feet upon the base differentmethods are employed to obtain the proper positioning of the case uponthe base with respect to the other parts of the pump with which it mustbe joined or connected. The handling of the case, either in putting itinto position or in removing it, is effected by means of a suitablecrane or by the employment of a lift truck and in order that the casewill be accurately set, one practice is to machine the bottom of thecase feet. Since the'case metal is either of cast iron, cast steel, orsome machinable metal such machining is time consuming and, therefore,becomes a costly operation and furthermore each case must be so treatedor have its supporting feet machined to fit it with respect to thesupporting base so that it may be properly aligned with the other partsof the pump on the base.

Another practice is to form the case feet rough cast and then effectdesired alignment of the case with the follower plate and intake chamberby means of shims of various thicknesses inserted between the case feetand the base. In this practice the shims have to be changed when a newcase is put on the pump.

In still another method the bottom of the case feet are machined andalso the supporting base and the individual shims. such as manganesesteel, alloy steel or even white iron, the machining of these metals isslow and costly.

A particular object of the present invention, in view of the foregoing,is to solve the problems and overcome the present difficultiesassociated with the proper placement and alignment of such a case'byproviding the case with a foot construction or formation whereby thecase is of exactly the correct height from the bottom of the feet to thecenter line thereof Without having to machine the feet or employ shimsor similar devices to accomplish the proper alignment of the case whenit is set up on the base with the follower plate and intake chamber.

Where the casing may be of a very hard steel Another object of theinvention is to provide a case in on pumps in use in the field, therebymaking itpossible 3,622,74h Patented Feb. 27, 1%2

to replace any case with a new one without having to make on-the-spotadjustments in its positioning in order to properly align it withadjacent parts of the pump.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved caseplacement and alignment means embodying shim bars associated with'thepump supporting base together with a new and novel case footconstruction by means of which the pump case may be readily moved fromoperative position with respect to the other parts of the pump andreplaced in such position without requiring the services of a crane orlift truck.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in association witha centrifugal pump structure of the character stated a new and novelcase placement and alignment means employing in a cooperativerelationship an improved form of supporting feet for the case withsupporting shim bars upon which such supporting feet are adapted toslide, together with means forming a part of the base between the shimbars for facilitating the shifting of the case on the shim bars into andout of operative relationship with the other parts of the pump withwhich it is aligned by the novel foot construction by which it issupported.

In centrifugal pumps of the type with which the present invention isconcerned, after the pump has been operating for some time, solids packin around the case fit on the follower plate, causing the members tostick so that difficulty is experienced in breaking the case away fromthe follower plate when it becomes necessary to make an inspection ofthe interior of the pump. It is accordingly another object of theinvention to provide a means whereby pressure may be applied to the casein a manner to effect the separation of the latter from the followerplate;

The invention broadly contemplates the provision of shim bar extensionsfor the portions of the base upon which the feet of the case rest. Thefeet of the case are formed or cast a prescribed amount short of theusual height. The feet are then filled out on the underside with a castmetal sole the thickness of which is accurately controlled so that eachcase having the feet so extended will be exactly the same height fromthe bottom of the feet to the center line of the case. The cast metalsole for each foot rests upon the top of the extended shim bar and inaddition to supporting the case in proper alignment with the followerplate, such soles facilitate the movement of the case with respect tothe follower plate by acting as runners for sliding movement along thesurfaces of the shim bars.

The case is guided on the shim bars and held against lateral movement bylateral guards forming portions of the inner sides of the supportingfeet. Also the base between the shim bars is formed with a longitudinalline of short transversely extending spaced cleats by means of which andthe use of a pry bar in engagement therewith, movement of the case alongthe shim bars is readily effected so that separation of the case fromthe follower plate is readily accomplished without the necessity ofusing a crane or lift truck.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms Without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the presentembodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since thescope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than bythe description preceding them, and all changes that fall within themetes and bounds of the claims or th at form their functional as well asconjointly cooperative equivalents, are therefore intended to beembraced by those claims.

In the drawings:

Flihl is a view in perspective of a centrifugal sand pump of the typewith which the present invention is concerned, showing in associationtherewith features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective and on a smaller scale of the pumpstructure shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the opposite side or that sidewhere the power is delivered to the pump and showing the jack screwsemployed for breaking the case away from the follower plate;

FIG. 3 is a view in top plan of the: pump showing the extended shim barsand the pry bar cleats;

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation ofthe pump structure and illustratesthe action of the jack screws in breaking the case from the followerplate;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken in a verticalplane approximately on the line 55 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the metalsole for the foot which rests upon the shim bar;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken in a verticalplane transversely of the foot approximately upon the line 6-6 of FIG.1;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 and illustrating amodification of the metal sole plate for a foot of the case.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 14)generally designates a centrifugal sand pump of a heavy construction andin connection with which the present invention is used, While thenumeral 12 generally designates the base upon which the pump is mounted.

The pump structure comprises broadly th pump case which is generallydesignated 14, the intake chamber to which the case is secured and whichis generally designated 16 and which has located or positioned betweenit and the case 14 the follower plate 18.

The intake chamber comprises the conventional housing 20 to the rearside of which is secured in the usual or a known manner the bearinghousing 22 through which extends the shaft, not shown, which isconnected to a drive motor for operating the pump.

The numeral 2 2 designates the intake connections at opposite sides ofthe intake chamber with which are connected the pipelines through whichmaterial is delivered to the pump for discharge by Way of the case 14through the case discharge outlet 26.

The case discharge 26 is here illustrated as extending vertically andhas coupled therewith the adjustable discharge sleeve which is generallydesignated 28 and by means of which connection is made with a deliverypipe, not shown.

This discharge sleeve forms the subject matter of pending applicationSerial No. 812,916, filed May 13, 1959, and accordingly is here onlygenerally referred to as it is not believed that a detailed descripitonof the same is required since it forms no part of the invention of thisapplication;

The case 14 is fitted to the intake chamber housing 20 by means of thefollower plate 18 and it is drawn tightly into operative position bymeans of the stud bolt 30 which are fixed to lugs carried by andpositioned around the periphery of the intake chamber housing as mostclearly shown in FIG. 2. In this figure there are shown l a pair ofupwardly extending lugs 31 to which the uppermost stud bolts are fixedand which are here shown as being relatively short but which may beextended, or made longer, if necessary. At the sides of the casing 20longer lugs 32 extend outwardly as illustrated and each of which carriesa stud bolt 30.

The pump case 14 has cast integral therewith and around the periphery orouter circular portion thereof the apertured lugs 33 and 34. These lugsare positioned so that when the case is moved into position. against theintake chamber housing the threaded ends of the stud bolts will extendtherethrough to receive the nuts 35.

The numeral 36 designates an additional lug on the top of the pump case14 for connection with the case of a suitable crane or hoistingmechanism when it becomes fiecessaryto lift the case entirely elf of thesupporting ase.

As hereinbefore stated, the pump case stands upon feet which rest uponthe pump supporting base 12. This base, in presently known pumpstructures or conventional structures, extends only sufiiciently farbeyond the intake chamber housing to provide the proper surface uponwhich the case feet may rest. These case feet which are cast integralwith the pump case are here designated 37 and 38 and as has beenpreviously set forth, the presentpractice for aligning the case with theintake chamber and follower-plate consists either in machining thebottom faces of the supporting feet as may be necessary, or by placingshims between the case feet and the underlying portion of the base uponwhich the feet rest.

The intake chamber casing in also is cast with sup porting feet 39,shown in FIG. 2, and these feet rest upon flat tops of upstandingportions of the base 12 lying beneath the case 2%, one only of suchportions being shown in FIG. 2 and designated 40, such upstandingportions being cast with the base 12.

In accordance with the present invention the frame base 12 is extendedfrom the portions 40 forwardly beyond the pump case 14, as is clearlyillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. This extended portion of the basecomprises the upstanding side rails 41 and 42. which constitutecontinuations of the portions 46. The bottom or floor of the basebetween these rails 41 and 42 is designated 43 and this floor portion ofthe base between the rails carries in a longitudinal array upon its topsurface the series of short transversely directed lugs 44 which aredesigned to be used in association with a suitable pry bar, ashereinafter described.

The rails 41 and 42 forming the forward extensions of the pump base havemounted longitudinally thereon the shim bars 45 and 46. The top surfaces47 and 48 re spectively are smooth to facilitate the sliding of thespecially formed feet 37 and 38 thereon in the operation of shifting thepump case with respect to the intake chamber and follower plate.

To avoid the hereinbefore described tedious and costly methods employedfor aligning the case, the following procedure is carried out inconnection with the cast feet. In the casting of the casing and the feetintegral therewith the feet are cast approximately /2 inch short of theusual height. The holes conventionally formed in the feet are as shownin FIGS. 5 and 6 enlarged at their upper ends. Referring to FIG. 5, thefoot 38 which as shown in FIG. 1, is cast on the side of the pump casebeneath the discharge 26, has the two bores 49 thereof upwardly flaredas indicated at 50. The under face 51 of the foot is formed with ashallow recess 52. This recess extends through the major portion or" thelength of the foot and across the major portion ofthe width, as shown inFIG. 6.

Also in the formation of the feet 37 and 38 there is provided at theinner side of each foot the downwardly extending shoulder 53 and thespace between these shoulders is approximately equal to the spacebetween the inner sides of the top portions of the shim bars 46 and 4.7so that when the case is located in position on the shim bars, theseshoulders 53 will engage or be in close proximity to the inner surfacesor inner portions of the shim bars and will function to prevent anylateral movement or twisting or turning of the case as it is being movedinto operative position.

The recesses 52 formed in the undersides of the case feet are filledwith a suitable low melting metal, metal alloy, plastic or cement andthis filling forms a sole portion on the bottom of the foot which is ofa thickness to project-beyond the lower face 51 of the foot as isclearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and these sole portions which aredesignated 54 rest and are adapted to slide upon the smooth top surfaces47 and 48 of the shim bars.

The formation of the soles or sole portions 54 beneath thev feet iseffected by enclosing or encasing the foot in a suitable form and thesole forming material is then introduced through the holes 49. By reasonof the flaring of the upper portions of the holes, it will be seen thata locking of the soles in position is obtained and, therefore, thepossibility of the soles coming out or falling from position iseffectively prevented.

While any number of different metals or other materials may be employedfor forming the supporting soles 54, bah-bit metal is one material whichhas been found to be entirely satisfactory for use.

The extent to which the sole 54 projects below the under face 51 of thefoot is controlled or regulated by the form employed for casting thesole in the recess 52 so that all of the cases which are manufactured orproduced for a particular size or type of pump are exactly the sameheight from the bottom of the sole of the feet to the center line of thecase. Thus all cases constructed in this manner will be completelyinterchangeable with other cases on users pumps in the field.

FIG. 7 illustrates the slightly modified form or construction for thebearing sole for the case feet. In this construction a low frictionmetal plate 55 is provided which forms the sole plate and which soleplate rests and slides upon the smoothed top surfaces 47 and 48 of theshim bars 45 and 46. This plate has secured to the top surface thereofin a suitable manner as by welding, the wire mesh 56 and a low meltingpoint metal or other suitable bonding material is introduced through thebore 49 of the foot body while the sole plate and wire mesh are in theposition illustrated in FIG. 7 to establish a secure bond between theplate and the bottom of the case foot. The bonding material between thebottom of the case foot and the sole plate 55 is designated 57. The lowmelting point metal may be lead, babbit or tin or, if desired, thebonding material may comprise a plastic, resin, or any suitable type ofcement. By employing the wire mesh, which is preliminarily bonded byWelding or other means to the top of the soleplate, a good bond isobtained between the sole plate and the material 57 which is cast ontothe top of the plate through the bore 49'. The sole plate 55 may be coldrolled steel, brass or aluminum.

When the case is set in position the flat bottom faces of the soles, orsole plates 54 or 55, of the feet will rest upon the smooth top surfacesof the shim bars and due to the manner of casting or shaping the solesso that the cases will be of the required height from the bottom of thefeet to the center line, the case can be accurately aligned with thefollower plate and slid into position. The rails 41 and 42 together withthe shim bars 47 and 48 mounted thereon will be of standard height andthis, together with the standardization of the case supporting feet,will facilitate the accurate alignment of the case, as stated.

After placing the case on the shim bars with the lateral guide shoulders53 in engagement with the inner edges of the top portions of the shimbars, the sliding of the case on the shim bars can be easily effected byusing a pry bar such as is illustrated in FIG. 4 and designated 58, byengaging the lower end of the bar between two of the base cleats 44 andprizing the case forwardly. As the case is moved forwardly in thismanner, the case stud bolts will pass through the apertured lugs 33 and34 and the securing nuts can then be placed on the bolts and the casedrawn tightly in position.

The adjustable discharge sleeve 28 will then be properly located to havethe lower section thereof moved down into coupling relation with the topend of the case outlet 26.

The adjustable discharge sleeve comprises, as is set forth in thecopending application hereinbefore referred to, the upper and lowerportions 28a and 28b. The lower portion 28b is slidably engaged in thelower end of the larger upper portion 28a and when it is moveddownwardly, after the placement of the pump case in position, it may bejoined to the flanged top end of the pump case discharge 26 by thecoupling bolts 59. The upper end of the upper section 28:: of thedischarge sleeve is'flanged' as indicated at 60 for connection with astandpipe.

After the pump has been in operation for a period of time solids becomepacked in around the portion of the case which is fitted to the followerplate, which tends to cause the members to stick tightly together. Thisis true also in cases where rubber parts are embodied in the couplingbetween the case and the follower plate. Thus when it becomes necessaryto shift the case for inspection of parts to determine the extent ofwear or for any other reason, some difliculty is experienced in movingthe case away from the follower plate. To facilitate such separation ofthe case from the follower plate there are provided upon the casingforming the intake chambenat opposite sides thereof, the additional lugs61 which project laterally from the casing and are threaded to receivejack screws 62. These jack screws are suitablyheaded on the ends thereofremote from the case 14 to facilitate the connection of a wrenchtherewith while the opposite ends of the jack screws engage against theadjacent wall of the case 14 so that when the jack screws are rotated inthe proper direction they will impose pressure or thrust against thecase and break the same away from the follower plate 48 in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 4. When the case has thus been loosened, it can bereadily slid on the shim bars away from the follower plate without thenecessity of using a hoist or crane and after the necessary inspectionhas been madeor the case has been replaced, if required, it can bereadily slid back into connection with the follower plate in perfectalignment therewith due to the manner in which the case feet have beenfitted with the proper thickness of elevating sole.

The shim bars upon which the feet slide may be made of any suitablelength. In some installations there bars may be extended to a lengthwhich would permit the case to be moved or slid far enough away from thefollower plate so that a worn runner and follower plate might bereplaced if necessary. Such an extension of the shim bar would, however,only be necessary in situations where there may not be an overhead craneor a lift truck could not get to the pump to engage the apertured liftlug 36. Even in this case it is, of course, obvious that the case mustbe slid out sufficiently far to clear the stud bolts and the pump runnerbefore it could be lifted from the base.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that there is provided bythe present invention a new and novel case foot construction which willenable the case to be set in position and in proper alignment with thefollower plate without having to precede this operation with a grindingor finishing in any way of the bottoms of the case feet or withouthaving to employ shims, as is the present practice, to get the caseproperly lined up with the other parts of the pump with which it is tobe connected.

Also in addition to the foregoing, the present invention provides anovel base structure which facilitates the movement of the case back andforth with respect to the follower plate while maintaining it in properalignment with the follower plate at all times and the invention alsopro-'- vides novel means by which the case can be easily broken awayfrom the follower plate so as to permit it to be shifted away therefromwith a minimum of effort.

In addition to providing a means for the smooth movement of the caseon'the shim bars, by the sliding of the soles for the cast feet on thetop surfaces of the bars, the case will be held effectively against anylateral movement or twisting movement on the shim bars through thesliding engagement of the shoulder portions 53 at the inner sides of thefeet with the adjacent inner sides of the shim bars.

In the preceding description of the structure of the base for supportingthe pump, whereas a distinction has been made in the terminologyemployed between the parts 41 and 42, termed rails and the parts 47 and48, termed shim bars, the term rails as used in the claims,

7, is used in a generic sense as defining the base parts upon which the.case feet soles rest in supporting the case.

By the provision of the shim bars 45 and 46 which are mounted upon thebase side rails 41 and 42, different positionings of the case dischargeare made possible.

In pumps of the type here disclosed, the case may be cast with the feet37 and 38 in different locations so that the case discharge can be setin as many as six different discharge positions. As will be apparent,the volute of the case increases in size from the part where theapertured lug 36 is located to the discharge. Since the feet 37 and 38must always be on the bottom of the case, they will vary in height asthe case is turned. Because of this volute slope, one foot is higherthan the other and thus shim bars of difierent heights are required. Itwill accordingly be seen that by forming the base extension rails 41 and42 with the shim bars as separate units mounted and secured thereon,these different heights or different positions of the case feet can betaken care of to set the case in the required position for directing thedischarge either upwardly or laterally to the right or to the left. Asstated, with this type of pump, at least six possible dischargepositions are available which are: bottom horizontal to the right; 45 tothe right; top vertical; top 45; top horizontal to the left; left 45.Thus the user of the pump can obtain a case designed to be set in anyone of the different discharge positions or the discharge position canbe changed later, without requiring a new case, shim bars and intakechamber. In any of the positions in which the case may be set, theadjustable discharge sleeve can be used since the adjustability isuseful regardless of the discharge position.

We claim:

1. In a centrifugal pump structure an intake housing, a case detachablysecured thereto, a base for supporting the housing and case, the casehaving supporting feet andthe base including spaced portions supportingthe feet and extending in a direction paralleling the axis of the pump,means for aligning the center of the case with the center of the saidhousing comprising sole forming bodies covering the major portions ofthe undersides of the feet and adapted to bear upon said spaced portionsof the base and said sole forming bodies being so joined to the feetthat the bottoms of the bodies are at the correct vertical distance fromthe centerline of the case whereby the case will be exactly aligned withthe said housing when the sole forming bodies are resting on saidportions of the base and the case may be shifted on the base forseparation from the housing and the alignment of the centers of the caseand housing maintained to facilitate accurate reverse shifting andrejoining of the case and housing.

2. In a centrifugal pump structure, an intake housing, a case removablyjoined thereto, a base for supporting the housing and case, said basehaving a substantial length and extending from beneath the case to asubstantial distance beyond the side of the case remote from thehousing, spaced parallel bars extending lengthwise of the base in adirection paralleling the axis of the pump, and feetcarried by the caseand supported upon said bars and adapted for sliding movement on andlongitudinally of the bars in the operation of separating the case fromthe housing whereby axial alignment of the housing and case ismaintained to facilitate rejoining the same.

3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the said sole formingbodies are embedded in part in the base feet.

4. In a centrifugal pump structure, an intake housing, a case removablyjoined thereto, a base for supporting the housing and case, said basehaving a substantial length and extending from beneath the case to asubstantial dis tance beyond the side of the case remote from thehousing, spaced parallel bars extending lengthwise of the base, and feetcarried by the case and supported upon said bars and adapted for slidingmovement on the bars in the operation of separating the case from thehousing, said bars comprising members of dilferent heights detachabiysecured to the base so that similar and other car members of differingheights may be substituted for the support of a substitute case havingfeet located diiierently thereon from the feet on the original case.

5. In a centrifugal pump structure, an intake housing, a case removablyjoined thereto, a base for supporting the housing and case, said basehaving a substantial length and extending from beneath the case to asubstantial distance beyond the side of the case remote from thehousing, spaced parallel bars extending lengthwise of the base, and feetcarried by the case and supported upon said bars and adapted for slidingmovement on the bars in the operation of separating the case from thehousing, and means carried by the intake housing for applying a thrustto the case in a direction to move the case on the said bars away fromthe housing.

6. The invention according to claim 5, wherein the said means comprisesjack screws directed toward and having ends in engagement with the case.

7. In a centrifugal pump structure, an intake housing, a case removablyjoined thereto, a base for supporting the housing and case, said basehaving a substantial length and extending from beneath the case to asubstantial distance beyond the side of the case remote from thehousing, spaced parallel bars extending lengthwise of the base, and feetcarried by the case and supported upon said bars and adapted for slidingmovement on the bars in the operation of separating the case from thehousing, the base including'a floor portion lying between said railswith means spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the baseforming fulcrums against which to engage a pry bar for operation inmoving the case on said rails.

8. The invention according to claim 7, wherein said fulcrum formingmeans comprises a number of upstanding lugs integral with the basefloor. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES. PATENTS427,060 Edwards et al May 6, 1890 830,383 Wilkinson Sept. 4, 19061,025,425 Robeson et al. May 1, 1912 1,471,559 Knauf Oct. 23, 19231,475,676 Bell et a1 Nov. 27, 1923 1,533,156 Baum-sun Apr. 14, 19251,791,657 Brown Feb. 10, 1931 2,128,805 Doran Aug. 30, 1938 2,443,747Ray June 22, 1948 2,885,773 Molinaro May 12, 1959 2,900,711 Wilson Aug.25, 1959

